Artificial intelligence deepfakes; growing danger to election integrity, public trust, and the people of Georgia; recognize

2026 Special Session Introduced by Bryce Berry and 5 co-sponsors

Georgia HR 43 aims to recognize deepfakes as a threat to elections and mandate awareness, guidelines, and potential actions to mitigate misinformation.

House Read and Adopted

Summary of HR 43 (2026 Session, Georgia)

Purpose and intent

HR 43 recognizes that artificial intelligence deepfakes pose a growing danger to election integrity, public trust, and the people of Georgia.

The bill aims to raise awareness of deepfake risks and establish statutory considerations or responses to mitigate potential harms in elections and public discourse.

Key provisions and changes (as indicated by title and context)

While the full legislative text is not provided here, the bill’s title suggests:

A formal recognition of deepfakes as a threat to election processes and confidence in government.
Potential measures to address or regulate the creation, dissemination, or verification of AI-generated deceptive media related to elections.
Possible instructions to state agencies or election officials to develop guidelines, training, or outreach on deepfake risks.
Potential reporting requirements or studies to assess the impact of deepfakes on Georgia’s elections and public trust.

Note: The exact statutory language, enforcement mechanisms, penalties, funding, and definitions (e.g., what constitutes a “deepfake”) are not included in the provided excerpt.

Who and what would be affected

Elections and election administration in Georgia:

Election officials and local election offices may be responsible for implementing any guidelines or reporting tied to deepfakes.

Public communications and media:

State agencies, political campaigns, media outlets, and platforms could be affected if the bill leads to standards for labeling, debunking, or verifying AI-generated content.

General public:

Increased awareness and potential protections against misinformation during elections.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Action history indicates:

June 22, 2026: House Hopper (introduced and moved through the hopper to the next stage).
June 22, 2026: House First Readers (introduced and acknowledged in committee process).
June 22, 2026: House Read and Adopted (passed the House in that session cycle).

Sponsors:

Primary sponsor: (not listed in the excerpt)
Co-sponsors: Carolyn Hugley, Karla Drenner, Mary Ann Santos, Shea Roberts, Marvin Lim, Bryce Berry.

Status as of the provided history: The bill advanced through initial readings and was adopted by the House in the 2026 session, indicating progression toward consideration by the Senate or further legislative steps.

Important considerations and potential impacts (typical for this topic)

Definitions and scope: How the bill defines “deepfake” (e.g., AI-generated or altered content) and what media types are covered (video, audio, images, text).

Enforcement and penalties: Whether there are criminal or civil penalties for improper creation or distribution of deceptive deepfakes related to elections, and what enforcement agencies would oversee it.

Education and prevention: Possible requirements for training election officials and public awareness campaigns to help voters recognize manipulated content.

Free speech vs. safety: Balancing restrictions or disclosures with First Amendment rights and media freedom.

funding and implementation: Any appropriations or timelines for rollout of guidelines, labeling mechanisms, or verification tools.

If you’d like, I can tailor the summary once the full bill text is available to confirm precise definitions, sections, fiscal notes, and any specific compliance deadlines.